TrueHeart
by TimeTotsintheTARDIS
Summary: The cat crawled right in and sat perched on the bedpost on the left side, adjacent to me. I stared at him like I was crazy. I probably was. Then, he did the craziest thing of all: he spoke. "StarClan hears all prayers, and yours have been answered..."
1. Chapter 1

OMG I can't believe it. Look at that, another warriors fanfic. Woo-hoo!!

Ni-Hakka (Nee Ha Kaa) *sarcastically*: oh, please, you gush.

Me: shutupshutupshutup!! You do not exist!! My therapist said so!!

Ni-Hakka: Well she was wrong about the talking hamburger and look how that turned out

Me: He really, really didn't want to be eaten… He said so… *eyetwich*

Ni-Hakka: Well, this is my crazy person and she says hi. I'm Ni-Hakka, her mind.

Me: YOU DO NOT EXIST!!!!!!!!!

Ni-Hakka: Well, on with the story. I'm pretty sure I'll have her better by... You know... Next year... Whenever I feel like it.

Me: awww, you DO care.

A/N: Samantha is the main, she's 12, and little Tori is 4, so she has a bit of a child-like slur. And sorry to my buddy, who helped with the plotline, that I altered it so much, and I used your little sister's name!!

**I awoke to the sound of… what was that… **_**claws? **_**Looking out my window, I saw what appeared to be a dramatically white cat against the blackness of midnight. However, he was giving off his own mellow light, like he had a star **_**inside**_** of him. **

**Creeping closer, my window being at the foot of my bed on the right side, I saw he had intelligent green eyes. Looking back, it was probably those eyes that made me lift the window in the first place. StarClan works in mysterious ways… **

**None the less, he crawled right in and sat perched on the bedpost on the left side, adjacent to me. I stared at him like I was crazy. I probably was. Then, he did the craziest thing of all: he spoke. No mistaking it, it was as clear-cut as diamond in a strange accent I couldn't quite place. He said, "StarClan hears all prayers and yours has been answered." **

**Now, I had pretty recently been reading this series called Warriors and I, no mistaking it, wanted to be a cat and to live in the Clans and have kits and a mate and maybe even be leader someday. However, I assumed I must have been dreaming. This was impossible, and as much as I wanted it to be true, I knew it wasn't. It couldn't be. Then he did something I expected even less: he padded forward to me and touched noses with me. At first I was confused. Then, I was in pain. It wasn't so much excruciating as numbing, and felt like I was being heated, on fire, and shrunken while millions of needles pricked me all over my body. I tossed and turned on my bed, when it stopped, as suddenly as it had started.**

**Looking around, I realized I was smaller, much smaller, and had larger ears, and could see quite well despite the seemingly pressing darkness before, and… I was… furry?! Looking at my back, I saw pale white fur, not as dramatic as the other cat's though, and a fluffier silver tail. I looked at my hands next, well, paws, and was startled to see one white and the other silver. I turned, trying to see my tail again, and I lost my balance, falling over onto my back.**

**The white cat had watched in silence up till now, but now he started purring laughingly and his tail tip twitched when I looked up at him from my back. "Come. No one here will miss you, and I can take you to the Clans," he said finally. "What about Tori?" I asked slowly, getting used to the awkward feeling of my mouth. "Tori will come," he acknowledged, "if she wishes to. For now you still speak your old language, but not for long. Go now, and she **_**may **_**come with us."**

**Not needing another word to encourage me, I pelted down the row of 12 bunk beds and to the last one. Leaping gracefully onto Tori's bed, I quietly murmured in her ear, "Tori? Toriiiiiiiii… Wake up, it's very important," I whispered urgently. The four-year-old mumbled something incoherently in her sleep, and blinked slowly. "Mantha? Is that you?" she asked sleepily. "Kind of," I said. "Quietly, now, get up. We're leaving this place, for good," I said determinedly. "How?" she asked, getting slightly more awake. "Tori, do you know how I read you the books about the kitties?" I asked. "Oh, I luff the kitties…" she murmured. "Do you want to **_**be**_** a kitty?" I said. "Oh, yes. Very muth," she said. "Then come on. Look at me! I'm already a kitty," I said confidently. "Oh. Can I be a kitty too, Mantha?" she asked. "If you get up right now, very quietly, you can be a kitty too," I promised."Hurry, the magic cat is leaving," I said. **

**Rubbing her green eyes awake sleepily, she looked at me for the first time that night. She was stunned into silence. "It's still me, and you can be a kitty too," I pleaded. Tori finally nodded and tentatively reached out to pet my fur. Feeling the silky softness, she giggled and petted me again. "Ok, ok, I'm adorable," I whispered, "but let's go before the magic kitty leaves. He's from StarClan," I added. Tori nodded and tip-toed her way to my bed, understanding to be quiet or Ms. Delilah would come and put her away, into the Box if she was heard.**

**When we reached my bed, the white cat sat still, listening, as we came back. He said "We must go, now. The one you call Delilah is coming. We have only a few minutes more," he said urgently.**

**Padding up to Tori, he touched his nose to her forehead and she began to look around with wide, unseeing eyes, clouded as if she were elsewhere, with a huge smile on her face. "And for you the life of speed and justice," he murmured quietly. I wondered what my life had been of. And just like my life, it left Tori's eyes as quickly as it had come. "Oh, Mantha, I saw **_**such **_**a pretty river, and a tree, and a kitten, and she was so pretty, and-" She stopped when my tail brushed her now-kitten mouth. "We must go now, immediately. The Master is coming," said the white tom. Both nodded in understanding.**

**Leaping onto the bed that was once mine, I looked to the tom for answers. "Come," he directed and jumped nimbly out the window. Admiring his skill, I picked up the seemingly 2-moon-old size kit and leaped after him into the night. **

**However, when I went to follow him, he took Tori from me and carried her himself, making it look like nothing. I shook my head and followed. **

**It was so different, running on four legs instead of two. However, I felt like I could run for seasons and never tire out, or as if I could leap it new, shining crescent moon high above our heads and step right into the StarClan hunting grounds.**

**__________________________________________________________________________________________**

As we trotted out of the city we had been in and down the cobblestone streets leading towards the forest, the cat I had come to know as CloudFur stopped when we had reached a slight dip in the ground, a rainwater gutter.

"What is that smell?" I asked curiously. Speaking around the fur of the kitten he held, he said, "The light, airy scent is WindClan; the heavy, bitter scent ShadowClan and the warm, tasty scent is a barn built by the twolegs filled to the brim with tasty mice."

Looking in awe in the directions he pointed in, a thought occurred to me. "Which Clan would take me- us?" I asked. "I have spoken to the leader, and said the kit is yours. He… will be difficult to convince, but I believe you have the true heart of a Warrior. We will meet him at Fourtrees tonight," he said confidently.

We approached the T-shaped fork in the road, or Thunderpath as I could now call it, and I was nervous. I knew what lay ahead. It was the corner of WindClan and ThunderClan territory, at Fourtrees. The place I would meet my destiny, or be destroyed by it.

Then another set of thoughts came to me: what if they didn't like me? We couldn't go back, and we couldn't just live as loners! Or what if they didn't like _Tori?!_ I couldn't stay without her!

Suddenly, it seemed, he had stopped again. We were at a steady incline at the edge of what I knew to be Fourtrees. I panicked.

"Relax," CloudFur commanded, and I couldn't resist; I did. Knowing I was about to meet my future leader (or not), I licked myself clean, my now-catlike instincts kicking in.

CloudFur gave me the now sleeping Tori and said, "Hold on tight." Needless to say, I did. "Why-"

My question was cut off as I felt myself swirling up, up into the sky in the form of thousands of tiny stars, then back down into the hollow. I felt myself taking form, and guessing we wouldn't want to look stupid, so I started looking like I was walking on air, gracefully descending from the sky, CloudFur beside me.

I saw a lot of things. The great rock, Fourtrees, the ghosts of cats long forgotten, but what stood out at me the most was a dark gray tom-cat. His yellow eyes were widening in surprise, but he was quickly composing himself.

"Greetings," he said, dipping his head towards us as we landed in front of him. "Greetings," I replied in an awed tone, realizing for the first time that this wasn't just a severely happy dream.

Looking puzzled, the gray cat asked "And who are they?" to CloudFur. "This is Samantha, and her kitten, Tori," said CloudFur.

"Strange names…" he murmured to himself. Turning and dipping his head to her, he added, "Welcome. Might you be the one he has told me of?" he queried kindly. I merely nodded, my paws aching from walking so far and carrying Tori into the hollow. She was heavy!

Looking very worried, I asked "Will you take us? We have nowhere else to go, no one to turn to. It is still your decision."

He turned to me, and this was it: was he going to accept me?

Me: Oh, a cliffy, I'M SO CRUEL!! WOO-HOO WARRIORS!!!!

Ni-Hakka- FINALLY, some enthusiasm.

Me: WHY DID I EVEN NAME YOU?!

Ni-Hakka: Cause you loooove me.

Me: you are me. How could I not?

Ni-Hakka: because you're annoying.

Me: but you just said I'm you! How can you find me annoying?!

Ni-Hakka: I never said I wasn't.

Me: GAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: N/A XD XP

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He looked at me with a strange expression in his eyes. "I… I believe I will," he said finally. "I am LightningStar, leader of ThunderClan," he purred with obvious pride.

"I have… heard of your Clans. You will have to explain some of your ways, but I swear to you by StarClan I will try my very best," I said confidently. He nodded, believing my words. I looked around, ready to thank CloudFur, suddenly noting he was gone.

"Back to the hunting grounds…" I murmured. LightningStar looked at me quizzically. "Are… are we home, Mantha?" asked Tori, waking up slightly. "No, dear, hush now. We will be home soon," I murmured comfortingly.

LightningStar looked at me again as I picked up Tori again and began to walk beside him. He saw I was exhausted, and my head was drooping.

"Can… can I carry her?" he asked tentatively. I shook my head slightly, she was my sister. My daughter. I gained strength from this knowledge. She was _mine_, and I wasn't going to let her go anytime soon.

He nodded, understanding, and said "It's not far. We'll be there soon." I just padded quietly behind him.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

We reached the edge of a rocky ravine, and two thoughts popped into my head: one was _it looks so different than I thought it would! _and_ How am I supposed to carry Tori down there?!_

Seeing my expression, he said, "You need to let me carry her this time," and I nodded. I didn't want to drop her, or fall myself.

"Just follow me," he said, taking Tori in his jaws. Pawstep by pawstep, we made our way into the riverbed of the ThunderClan camp. He pushed his way into the brambles in front of us. This, I knew, was the entrance to the ThunderClan camp. I followed, nervous.

As we broke through the bramble barrier, I spotted two cats sitting in the middle of the clearing. One was a dark gray brindle tom, the other a dark ginger she-cat, and neither much older than myself.

"Who are they?" I asked curiously. "GingerFur and JayFeather," he said. "Oh, are they sitting vigil for their warrior's ceremony?" I asked. He looked at me, surprised. "Yes," he said. Realizing what I had said, I quickly added, "When I said I had heard of your Clans, I meant it," with a smile.

"So JayFeather and GingerFur are littermates?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood. "Yes. Actually, they aren't allowed to speak until dawn, and then they will be full-fledged warriors," LightningStar said with pride. "Good, then your Clan must be very strong," I said quietly. He nodded to me.

Walking tentatively into the middle of the clearing, towards a lichen-draped den I assumed was the leader's den under Highrock; the two cats watched me but said nothing. I was with leader, and they were on vigil. No, not a word was said.

We headed under the lichen and into his den. "This is my den," he said, confirming my earlier thoughts, "and you will stay here tonight. We can't have a stranger in here at night." Noticing there was no moss, I shrugged and gently laid down Tori, curling around her, and placed my tail over my nose. Tori curled closer to me. I fell easily into a dreamless sleep in a few moments.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Waking up the next morning was a bit of a surprise. I realized I was awake, but I didn't move. I didn't want to spoil the wonderful dream I had just had. Then, slowly, I realized I was sleeping… differently, and there was a smaller body breathing steadily beside me. This must have been Tori, and she felt so small, and furry.

Could it be that it _wasn't _a dream? I asked myself this question. Only three answers came to me. One, it was a dream and I needed to forget about it. Two, it was real, and I was now a Clan cat. Or three, the most likely, I was crazy.

I decided to believe one and slowly opened my eyes. What I saw convinced me of two. I saw the tan cave walls of what I knew to be the ThunderClan leader's den. I saw the little silver kit, the same color as my tail, beside me. I saw the world for the first time that day, the way it should be seen. In a simpler way.

Gently nosing the kit, I purred to Tori, "Wake up, little one. You're a kitty now." She gently opened her eyes. They were the color of liquid gold.

"Where… where are we, Mantha?" she asked, shrinking back in fear. "Do not fear, you are safe now," came a new, soothing voice. I did not recognize it, so I wrapped my tail protectively around her.

Looking up, I saw the gray tom from the previous night. "Umm, Samantha, right?" he asked. I nodded. "JayFeather, right?" I countered. He nodded as well.

"I'm here to feed you, and then show you around camp," he said, motioning to her to come with his tail. "We will come when we finish. We did just wake up, you know," I purred. He nodded and left them.

"Well, time to get cleaned up," I said briskly to the kitten, stroking her fur with my tongue. She shied away from me, saying, "Mantha!" as I continued to stroke her lovingly, purring.

"Listen, Tori," I said when we had both been properly groomed, "we can tell no cat where we came from. Do you remember Ms. Delilah?" I asked. She nodded. "Well, Ms. Delilah can't find us now," I said in a cheerful whisper. "But if you tell any cat about the people, we could be in trouble," I warned. Tori nodded again.

Leading Tori with my tail on her shoulders, we followed the cat JayFeather out of the den and into the encampment.

As we passed the lichen, what I saw surprised me. I noted it was a little bit before Sunhigh, but I saw the camp with such clarity, and such brilliance that I couldn't have seen in the city that I was momentarily stunned. JayFeather saw me, and trotted quickly over to us, carrying two mice.

"Here," he said kindly, "I've already eaten." I nodded gratefully to him; Ms. Delilah hadn't fed us the night before and I had been so exhausted I hadn't even thought about it.

Looking again, I realized what he was asking me to do: _eat _a _mouse_!! Raw!! I wrinkled my nose at the thought. Luckily, he had been bending over to place them down in front of us, and didn't see. I unwrinkled my nose quickly, and purred in thanks. He responded with a small smile.

"Listen, I hate to do this to you, but… I'm kind of here to watch you, make sure you don't do anything stupid or get lost," he said tentatively. I nodded, it was best. I knew no one but Tori, GingerFur and JayFeather, and I didn't want to do anything to embarrass my new Clanmates. He sighed in relief.

"I'm also here to show you around camp when you're done," he added. Looking down at Tori, she was as excited as I was. However, while in the orphanage, we had been taught to obey the one in charge and never show emotion, so I could only see it in her eyes. Turning back to him, I nodded, and bent down to pick up the mice.

Letting go of Tori with my tail, I dropped it in front of her and whispered, "Just eat it, ok? It tastes like chicken," I promised. Tori nodded, trusting me. Sniffing it nervously, she took a small bite, then, as if realizing her hunger, quickly ate all the rest of it while I tried it as well.

Sinking my teeth into the small brown mouse, I tasted new, exotic flavors to me: pure, untainted, light, almost beautiful. It was like tasting what I had seen earlier, and I had to admit it: it was delicious.

I looked, surprised, at JayFeather, only to realize he was staring at me. He quickly looked away, embarrassed. "It's delicious," I assured him, taking another bite of the delicious food.

"Can we go explore the camp now, Mantha?" asked Tori quietly in my ear. Nodding as I finished the last few bites of the mouse, I stood up. Taking my tail and rewrapping my silver tail around Tori's little silver body, we stood up and I said to JayFeather, "Can we take a look around the camp now?" He nodded. "Would you like to meet the cats first?" he asked. Tori nodded when I looked to her, so I nodded as well. "Sounds great," I said enthusiastically.

As our hunger was satisfied, I began to notice the cats in the clearing. A dark brown cat, sharing tongues with a cream colored cat, she may have had stripes. I was too far to tell. I also saw a pale gray cat sharing tongues with a light and dark patched cat, as well as a pure white cat, a dark red cat and a brown tabby cat all sharing tongues. Most were conspicuously looking at me and talking.

Ducking my head, I tried to look invisible. Hah, no such luck. Seeing this, JayFeather said, "Don't worry. Clan gossip is few and far between. You're big news, so you'll be stared at for a while. LightningStar ordered all apprentices out of camp today, though, so all the cats you see are warriors," he said.

"I'm a warrior today, both my sister and I," he added proudly. "My other sister, LillyPaw, is the medicine cat's apprentice. She will not get her full name for a while," he explained. I nodded, although I already knew this. I purred, I was happy for him.

"That's cool. Can we meet her?" I asked. "We're going to right now," he said.

We padded through the fern tunnel, and I was admiring the way the sun was dappling on JayFeather's pelt through the ferns. It was very pretty… I shook my head slightly.

As we broke through the fern tunnel, a beautiful dappled she-cat came hurrying up to us. "Oh no, are you sick now?" she asked worriedly. "No, no, LillyPaw, we're fine. I'm just here to show her around," he said quickly, pressing his paw to her shoulder and sitting down.

I came out from behind him, realizing I couldn't be seen, and she gasped. "Who are you?!" she asked. I must have looked uncomfortable, because JayFeather quickly said, "This is Samantha, and her kitten is Tori."

I had sat down next to JayFeather, my fur gently brushing his and drawing comfort, and pulled Tori between my forepaws, wrapping my tail around her. I dipped my head in respectful greeting. "Hello," I said politely.

Her bristling fur smoothed some, but not completely, and she sat down in front of her brother and me. "So where do you come from?" she asked, sounding forced. Brushing my tail casually over Tori's little mouth, I responded, "The twolegplace. Life was hard there, but a white cat called CloudFur came to me in a dream and told me I belonged here," I said simply. She nodded.

"You know," she said thoughtfully, "I have dreamed of a cat called CloudFur. He-" LillyPaw was cut off by cloudy gray tom padding towards her. "LillyPaw? What are you doing? We have no time for idle chit-chat; GoldenFire has a rather nasty case of running nose. He sneezed on some of the poppy seeds, we will need more," he said, looking at her sternly.

Unfortunately, my body chose to sneeze at that exact moment. "Ah… Ah… CHOO!!" I looked down in embarrassment as he finally noticed us.

"Oh, talking to your brother, I see, and… who is that…" he said, and it dawned on him he had no idea who we were. "I am Samantha, and this is Tori, my… daughter," I said, after a pause where his eyes dark green eyes widened in shock. "We came last night with LightningStar, here," I said quickly before he could react.

Shaking himself slightly, he turned back to LillyPaw. "Well, get them out, we have work to do," he said briskly, shooing both JayFeather and myself out of the medicine cat's den. "AshLeaf…" we heard her mutter as we left.

We walked back through the fern tunnel, and I couldn't help but admire JayFeather's pelt again in the now green sunhigh light. The way his muscles moved under his fur and the sun worked perfectly with him, especially with his brindled fur.

We padded back into the center camp as a loud cry was heard from above, on the Highrock. "Let all cats old enough to gather their own prey gather here beneath Highrock for a clan meeting!" he roared.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

**Me: GAAH!! Another cliffy, how cruel to you. XP**

**Ni-Hakka: Well, at least this chapter has some LENGTH to it.**

**Me: what do you mean? **

**H: Well, 1000 words wasn't exactly a chapter…**

**M: Yes it was. What are you saying? **

**H: That you simply do not meas-**

**M: OOOHHHH!!!! **

**H: What?!**

**M: REVIEW IF YOU'RE EXCITED ABOUT THE NEXT WARRIORS BOOK OR YOU WILL HAVE 10,000,000,000,000,000 SECONDS BAD LUCK!!!!**

**H: Do you even know how long that is?**

**M: No, but I like zeros. I just put a lot of 'em on. **

**H: So? What does that have to do with anything? **

**M: Nothing, jus felt like sayin it.**

**H: …… There is NO WAY I was created by the likes of THIS THING.**

**M: I'M a PERSON with FEELINGS TOO!!! **

**H: …… Goodbye. *walks off to the deepest corners of my mind***

**M: WAIT!! I'LL NEVER FIND YOU **_**THERE!!**_** Who KNOWS what I'll find back there?!?!?! … … Hakka…? Hakka, where are you…? I'm lost…**


	3. Chapter 3

OMGOSHIMSOSORRIEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!! I've been busy, grounded, cptr broken, lost files, EVERYTHING happened to keep me off of the computer!! I apologize, but I SWEAR to you, my faithful, loyal readers, I WILL update EVERY. SINGLE. WEEK. Kay? Thxxxxx!!

* * *

All of the other warriors from around the camp came padding towards us as the cry echoed around the clearing.

JayFeather sat next to me, and I drew comfort from his closeness.

"We gather here for Clan meetings when the leader calls us," JayFeather told me quietly.

I nodded slightly, unnerved by all the glances from the other cats around us.

When they had all settled, there was a noticeable area of space around me.

JayFeather didn't seem to notice, and I was grateful he was next to me.

"Warriors of my Clan," began the leader when all was quiet. "As you all know, we have a newcomer in the camp," he started.

Unsettled murmuring broke out in the clearing.

"Who is she?" asked a dark brown she-cat. "Where does she come from?" asked a dark golden cat.

"Patience, DestinyHeart, GoldenFire," said the leader.

"She is Samantha, a cat from the twolegplace. Her kitten is called Tori. They will stay with us, and become warriors. A warrior of StarClan came to me in my dreams and told me of her, and that he wishes her to join us," he said, and that silenced all questions. No one questioned StarClan.

Looking at me, LightningStar waved his tail and, grabbing Tori by her scruff, I hauled us up to him. I dipped my head respectfully.

"Samantha, do you promise to feed and protect your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" he asked solemnly.

"I do," I replied. "Then from this moment forward, you shall be known as SnowSong, so long as you are loyal to your Clan."

Placing his head on mine, he whispered in my ear, "You are, of course, too old to be an apprentice, so for now, JayFeather will serve as your 'mentor' for as long as you like."

I licked his shoulder respectfully.

Moving his head, he turned to Tori.

"Do you wish to join the Clan, through warm Greenleaves and bitter Leafbares?" he asked, improvising for the small kit.

"Yes," she replied solemnly. "Then from this moment on, until your apprentice ceremony, you will be known as OceanKit," he said, placing his head on hers as she licked his shoulder with her teeny pink tongue.

"SnowSong! OceanKit! SnowSong! OceanKit!" called JayFeather's voice came from below, chanting our new names.

Slowly, the rest of the cats joined in, although not as strong as JayFeather, and I ducked my head in embarrassment.

I leaped down, again carrying Tor- OceanKit I corrected myself mentally, down to the clearing.

JayFeather trotted up to us, and as I sat down OceanKit, he touched his nose to my ear and I purred happily.

"Great name," he said, and I reached up and touched my nose to his cheek. He purred louder.

A black she-cat padded up to us, and said, "Greetings, SnowSong, and young OceanKit."

She looked closely at OceanKit. "What pretty eyes you have!" she exclaimed, purring lightly.

Looking up, she turned to JayFeather. "Great StarClan, JayFeather, it seems like just yesterday I was nursing you in the nursery, now you've all grown up and a mate of your own," she said, glancing at me.

"She's not my mate!" said JayFeather, "and SnowSong, this is my mother, RavenHeart." He sighed, and licked his mother's ear.

"She has to be, otherwise she'd be missing both ears," he added with a deep purr.

"Of course. Now if you'll excuse me, RainWhisker can't feed kittens himself," she purred, walking towards a large bramble structure I assumed was the nursery.

At that moment, a dark golden cat walked up.

"Hello," he said, sniffing. "I'b GoldenFire, and I'b quite obeously sick, so I'll introduce byself anb be on by way," he said. "I'b GoldenFire, nice to beet you, goobbye," he said and walked off.

"Light whitecough," murmured JayFeather. His breath was minty fresh, and smelled cool and mesmerizing…

I mentally shook myself. What was wrong with me?

In the next few minutes, I was introduced to every one of the warriors there. A cream colored she-cat with pale, almost invisible ginger stripes named WillowFur, a pure black she-cat with very amazing eyes named NightEyes, JayFeather's father, RainWhisker, who looked exactly like JayFeather.

I met the she-cat called DestinyHeart, and a pale gray tom named MouseClaw. A pale brown she-cat followed him, glancing as MouseClaw left, named RosePetal, and a silver tabby, the deputy, named SilverHeart. I met the white she-cat IceWind, a dark red tom named RedFur, and finally AmberClaw, a brown tabby tom.

Finally, I had met all of the cats. I would have been considered it about… 1:00 in the afternoon it the human world. I was surprised to find it was getting harder to remember little details like time from the human world.

Turning to JayFeather, I asked him, "What do we do now?" I realized I had said we, but he didn't seem to notice.

"I suppose we should see the rest of the camp," he said, looking at us. "You've met my sister, now you should meet my other sister. She was out hunting with her apprentice when LightningStar called the meeting," he added.

I nodded. I had wanted to meet her, as well as the other apprentices.

"I suppose we will go to the warriors den first, you'll be sleeping there," he said, padding towards a large bush with an entrance I noticed only when we had gotten closer.

"The warriors den?" I asked, looking at JayFeather. He nodded.

JayFeather crept under the dense bush. I followed, and saw a bundle of moss nests, dense in the center and spreading farther on the outside from each other.

"I will sleep on the outside for now, but as we get older, and more experienced, we will be able to sleep closer to the center. It gets cold on the outside in Leafbare," he purred. I purred too.

We turned to leave as the cat I remembered was called RosePetal padded in.

"Oh, hello," she said amiably. "I was looking for MouseClaw, have you seen him?" she asked. JayFeather and I shook our heads, but OceanKit padded forward.

"I've seen him," she said slowly, "he was eating with the cats called DestinyHeart and IceWind."

She stiffened a little at this and roughly said, "Thanks."

OceanKit shrank back into me. "Wh- what did I do?" she asked, looking up at me. "Nothing, nothing," I comforted her, "I think she's just a bit jealous," I purred with a glance at JayFeather. He was stifling a purr too.

"Well," he said quickly, "I suppose we should see the apprentices den, before they all get back." I nodded and, glancing at OceanKit to see she was fine again, followed.

"It's not _technically _a den," he said, "but it does the job." He gestured to a stump with ferns growing softly around it. Nests were scattered around it.

"We should go before they get back," he said. "They all come flooding in here after a hard day's work," he purred.

I looked at OceanKit, she was looking around curiously. "Will I be able to sleep here?" she asked, seeing me looking at her.

"Not yet, little one," said JayFeather. "You have to be an apprentice first, OceanKit." "Then, where will I stay?" she asked, sounding afraid. "In the nursery, of course," he said, shooting a look at me. I gave him a pleading look, and he nodded.

"We can go see the nursery now, if you like," he said, laying his tail gently on OceanKit's shoulders. She nodded, her eyes shining. "Oh, can we?" she said happily. "Of course," purred JayFeather.

Padding away from the den, he headed towards a large, bramble den that must have been the nursery, it was so well protected.

"My mother, RavenHeart is in there, she has kits again," he purred. I looked at him. "Your little siblings?" I asked. He nodded. "There's three of them, named ThunderKit, LilyKit and CloudKit. He's blind," he said quietly as we padded into the den. I nodded. I seemed to be doing that a lot lately. Nodding, not responding.

We padded into the den, JayFeather calling out, "Mother?" as we entered, and the warm, milky scent of the nursery hit my scent glands.

Oddly enough, it reminded me of my own childhood, which seemed strange to me. Why would this scent, of all the others, remind me of _my_ childhood? _Because this is what it smelled like before she came,_ answered the voice in my mind. _Warm, kind, and above all, loving,_ it added.

Before I could think any further, RavenHeart interrupted my reverie. "Hello again, SnowSong. OceanKit," she said sleepily. She had been dozing when we walked in.

"How is RiverHeart?" asked JayFeather. "Oh, she's fine. She'll be kitting soon, I suppose," she said. "I'm awake, you know," came a new voice, presumably RiverHeart's. "Is this the new cat, JayFeather's mate?" she asked.

"She's not my mate!" exclaimed JayFeather. I ducked my head as my ears burned. Looking exasperated, he nosed OceanKit to RavenHeart. "Take care of this one, will you? She needs a place to sleep, and she can't stay here. SnowSong's a perfectly healthy cat, and OceanKit is already on meat. Right, SnowSong?" he said, turning to me. I said, "Yes. Are your kits still suckling?" I asked, licking my chest awkwardly.

"Oh, yes, they are!" she replied. "How fast they grow!" she added with a purr. "Soon, they'll be apprentices and I'll be alone again," she sighed. "Yes, because a mate and friends mean nothing when you have no kits," purred RiverHeart sarcastically.

"Will you?" asked JayFeather again. "Of course, you think I'd let the poor thing go?" she asked. OceanKit padded uncertainly. "You will let me stay, yes?" she asked. "And you won't kick me out if I'm bad?"

"Of course not!" said RavenHeart, sounding shocked. "Kits are the most precious of all the Clans. We protect and fight for you!" she said. Looking relieved, she said, "So can I lay down, then?" she asked, adding, "I'm very tired."

"Yes little one, right here," RavenHeart said tenderly, motioning to a spot near her stomach. "Come lay down." OceanKit padded forward to the edge of the nest, leaped over a little, and curled up on the moss.

"Let's go see the rest of the camp," whispered JayFeather after OceanKit's breathing had become steady and she was asleep.

"What's left to see?" I asked, although I already knew. I mentally catalogued what was left. The elders den, the fresh-kill pile, I supposed, and … and what? There was nowhere else to go besides outside the camp.

"The elder's den. They were sleeping, I suppose. They're getting older," he said with a worried glint in his eyes. "Who are the elders?" I asked. "CloudBubble and StoneFur. If they're not sleeping, I suppose we can meet them…" he said doubtfully as I shook my head excitedly.

We padded forward into an old, burnt out tree log, filled with soft, lush grass. "It's so soft!" I exclaimed, not really surprised. It was described so perfectly in the books, I wasn't really surprised, but I saw the elders sleeping.

"Ah, maybe we should come back later…" I said, stepping a paw back. "Nah," said a female voice, "we're already awake."

A white-gray she-cat's head lifted from the dense nest of moss.

"Speak for yerself," came a grumpy tom cat's voice from the solid gray lump of fur next to her. "I'm tryin to get some shut-eye," he grumbled.

The she-cat gently flicked her tail on his ear. "Don't be such a grump," she gently reminded him.

"Pay him no heed. He is a little crazy, but that's why I love him," she purred, looking directly at me for the first time. What I saw shocked me. She had the exact same eyes as me. Gold, with lighter flecks of silver. Eyes that could only flow in a bloodline.


	4. Chapter 4

I apologize for any raised hopes, and I didn't mean to get into something I couldn't handle, but unfortunately, I am incapable of completing this story. So I do apologize, but... I am unable to finish. For those of you hoping to see this to the end, I'm sorry. However, I really didn't want to leave anyone completely hanging, so here's a quick, undefined summary of how it might've gone:

Turns out CloudBubble and StoneFur are her parents. She'd been lost as a kit. She didn't remember what had happened, but somehow, she'd wandered into Twolegplace on her own and gotten turned into a human child to preserve her life. Then, shocked, she turns and runs away. She runs into the forest, where JayFeather follows. He comforts her and they get closer.

Then they return to find the apprentices there. JayFeather's younger sister immediately notes the closeness the two seem to share and hates SnowSong. She makes fun of her, poking fun at her smell (which was of Twolegplace) and her accent (which was decidedly human, not wild). She stalks off with her friend, OrangePaw, who looks sort of apologetic but follows his friend VioletPaw. SnowSong shrugs off her behavior.

They sleep, ect. [I haven't figured out how to connect that and this, so some stuff happens.]

I wish you could see the cats evolving into who I know they become, because this depicts the time when friendships and rivalries are formed.

Then, after a while, SnowSong and GoldenHeart are on a ShadowClan border/hunting patrol. It's raining heavily. A cat across the Thunderpath, one cat is apparently hunting and sees them. They each ask what the other is doing, exchange mild insults, and the cat (WildSpirit, a calico tom with pale blue eyes) glares and limps away. SnowSong is curious and, because she'd been a human for nearly twelve years and boundaries didn't mean much to her, when GoldenHeart scented a mouse and told her to go her own way, she headed back to the border.

She crept up on him, watched him from across the border, and saw that his leg had been trapped in a fox trap- and they were now trying to remove another cat from a different trap. His clanmates were standing around a young cat, probably an apprentice, wondering how to get him out (they, of course, have no knowledge of human traps). She cautiously crosses the road. They're furious, try to attack her, deny they need help. However, when she tells them that that cat will die without her help, they agree to give her a chance. If the cat dies, however, they'll hurt her. Badly. They make that point quite clear. (Here I had planned to make it ominous, very bum, bum, BUMM!)

Using her advanced knowledge of human contraptions, she pops the apprentice out of the thing and asks for some spider webs. "It's basic knowledge, isn't it?" she snaps when they ask her why. She stops the bleeding, patches him up, and they take their cat and leave. Just as she was about to take her leave and pretend she'd never been there, WildSpirit shows up asking why she'd done it. She returns that it was the right thing to do. He looks at her oddly. Here was the scene as I'd planned it.

I looked both ways, preparing to cross the street, when another cat slunk from the shadows. "Why'd you do it?" the bitter voice asked. "Do what?" I returned, "Cross the street? Save your friend? Care? Because it was the right thing to do. I had the knowledge to save him. That's the only reason I needed."

He looked at me distrustfully. "You could have hurt him," he says finally. "You could have crippled one of our warriors, made your clan stronger. Why didn't you?"

I looked at him a long moment, then said quietly, "You would've done the same. Any cat in distress, you would've helped if you could." He held my gaze. "I'm a ShadowClan cat. We're mean, and we take every opportunity to make ourselves better. I'd have taken it," he said finally, moving back into the shadows. I cocked my head to the side a bit. "I really don't think so…" I murmured to myself, barely loud enough to be heard over the pounding rain and thunder. I crossed the street, back into my territory, and with thoughts filled of him. I think he'd have helped.

JayFeather and SnowSong continue to grow closer, but her thoughts and dreams are plagued by nightmares of WildSpirit. He could have hurt her so badly, but chose not to. Was it because she saved the apprentice?

More things happen, involving OceanKit growing into OceanPaw. Her mentor, the lovely SilverHeart, deputy of ThunderClan. (Gorgeous slender silver tabby, silver eyes) She learns quickly, studies, practices, until she is perfect at everything. However, OceanPaw begins to display some undesirable qualities. She was biting in her reprimands, to both herself and others. She wanted control of everything when she had the opportunity. If left in charge of the patrol, she'd make sure they brought back the most prey, caught the most quickly. If anyone was less than perfect, she was fury. She also displayed zero affection. The only person she cared about was SnowSong, and that left SnowSong worried.

She grew closer and closer with JayFeather, but she was upset. She didn't love him. She knew that- but she was okay with the fact that he loved her. She loved him as a friend, and that was enough. So, eventually, they… "Consummated"… their affection. (For those of you left a little baffled, it begins "When a Mommy cat and a Daddy cat love each other very much…")

She goes to a gathering, meets and greets, then feels some cat watching her to look around and see WildSpirit. Cautiously, she trotted over to talk to him. He was in a secluded corner of the hollow; invisible for the trees and brush. His behavior is inexplicably cold (because they've spoken at gatherings before, albeit only a few times, but it was warm) this time. He asks her if it's true, if she's fallen in love and gotten herself a mate. She dipped her head and squeaked a yes. He nodded once and was silent.

WildSpirit had become something of a confidant, someone she could talk to when she couldn't talk to her clanmates. They met often, only by accident. She made up an excuse, so did he, they'd meet and talk. He was her best friend, she realized with a start.

"Are you mad?" I asked tentatively, looking up at him. He looked at me oddly before looking back up at High Rock. "Of course not. You've settled down, I'm happy for you," he said. His words were sincere, but his body language was stiff and constricted. He was holding himself back. Why?

"WildSpirit?" I said tentatively, padding forward a step to touch my tail to his shoulder only to have him flinch back. "What?" he bit out. "I… I'm sorry," I said, although I wasn't quite sure what I was apologizing for. He looked at me before sighing, "Don't be. I am. Didn't mean to snap." He licked his chest awkwardly before glancing at me again. "I don't think this is going to work," he finally sighed. I tilted my head. "What won't work?" I asked, a feeling of dread building in my stomach. "This… us. The warrior code states that our clans come first, and I can't do that with you," he admitted in a pained whisper, leaning forward to look in my eyes. "I… but…" I tried to think of a good contradiction, but the code left no room for argument. As if he could sense the doubt and readiness to argue, he stopped me with a brush of his tail over my mouth. "Don't argue," he said, "it'll be harder."

Finally, having drawn a blank where good arguments were concerned, I blurted the first thing to my mind. "Don't! I- I love y-" I jerked back, reeling. I didn't love him! He was ShadowClan! But I did. Damn it.

"Damn it, SnowSong," he growled, "I know that! Why do you thing I can't do it anymore?" They were a hairs breadth apart. "You don't-?" "I _do_, and that's why. I can't love you. I won't," he said, softer now. He pulled back a bit, giving her all the choice to walk away. She slowly pressed her nose to his (A kitty cat kiss).

The main dynamic with them is that she's so innocent and kind, but not naive, and he's rough and cold on the outside but warm and protecting on the inside.

They get together, one time, then promise it'll never happen again. They go their separate ways, with the notion it'll never come to light.

More stuff, extras, really, showing the gradual realization of her pregnancy. Finally, SnowSong realizes she's pregnant- and terrified. She's never had kits, and more than that, whose would they be? She hoped, desperately, that the kits would be brindled and white, not the calico color she knew there was a chance they'd be.

About 50 days after the encounter at Fourtrees, OceanPaw corners SnowSong.

OceanPaw, now OceanFur, curious and perceptive, picks up on her discomfort and questions her outside of camp near the ravine. She worms it out of the older cat that there's a chance that they were a ShadowClan cat's kits. OceanFur is furious. She rants that it makes her seem imperfect, and that it made them seem like outsiders.

"How could you do this to us? To me?" she questions loudly, eyes blazing with fury. She stalks towards the older she-cat. "What were you _thinking?_ There's a perfectly acceptable young tom you're mated with, and now you're running around with some ShadowClan _stray?_" "I'm perfectly capable of making my own decisions, OceanFur," I return sharply, shocked at this side of her. "Well they're terrible ones!" she screeched. "You can't even go to Gatherings without screwing up my life!"

I stepped back. I was a little afraid of this cat, who so short a time ago hung on my every word like I was a goddess and now spat on me like I was worthless. "Why didn't you just stay in camp? Why did you have to ruin everything?" She took a step forward with each question. "What if they come out like him, huh?" It forced me to take a step back each time. "I don't suppose you had the decency to pick some cat that at least looked like JayFeather!" With that accusation, my foot slipped, and suddenly I was falling. It was all dream-like for a second, and I thought, _Stop,_ before I hit the ground. Then I was falling again, and I registered pain in my legs, then I hit the ground again. I was hitting rocks as I fell down the ravine. Then I hit the ground for a last time, and I registered two final things as I blacked out- OceanFur, standing stiffly at the top of the ravine, and a rippling pain across the bottom of my stomach.

This is where I'd have switched to OceanFur's view.

Of course, she hadn't meant to drive her off the ravine, but… hadn't the traitor deserved it anyway? Of course. She could see the older cat going into labor. She hadn't intended that either, but if those kits never lived to see the light of day, so what? Didn't they deserve to die too? They were half-clan- as good as dead anyway. Yes. She'd only done what would have been done in the long run anyway. Yes. With that, she walked away, into the forest, silent. If someone saw her, saved her, then it was StarClan's will that she live. If not, then… then she'd done only as StarClan desired. Yes.

Back to SnowSong's view.

SnowSong was dizzy, but after being discovered by LillyPaw in time to call for help, she gave birth to five kits. Only three came out alive. Only two made it past an hour. Only one was still alive now. She was small, calico.

One of SnowSong's legs was broken, the other fractured. It was told that she'd make a full physical recovery- but emotionally, AshLeaf had no idea if she'd be okay. Someone was dispatched to find OceanFur.

SnowSong named the kit SpiritKit. She had no idea if what had happened was a dream, or if it was real. She was in and out of consciousness for a few days, and JayFeather was right there the whole time, constantly watching the extremely young kit and its fragile mother.

After a few weeks, she can stand again. A few weeks after that, she is able to run. Pushing the incident that caused the whole thing out of her mind was easy- she wasn't even sure it had happened. OceanFur acted no differently around her, so SnowSong put it up to delirium.

She asks to go out hunting alone for once, complaining that she hasn't been alone in almost a season. They let her go. Cautiously, she makes her way to the ShadowClan border. She waits along the ThunderClan border, hiding well, and waiting. Finally, she sees WildSpirit. She makes her way over to him, and then they talk.

"They were yours," she whispers, crouching at his feet. "What?" he asks, coming out of the defensive pose he'd assumed when he'd detected a ThunderClan scent. "They were your kits," she repeated, exhausted, staying in the crouched position. "The kits?" he asked, alarmed. "There were kits?!" She nodded. "There were," she cried, emphasizing the _were_. He looked shocked but deliriously happy for a moment, until he realized the extent of what she'd said. "W-were?" he asked, dread creeping into his stomach. She nodded. "There were five," she said, "but they were born too early. Three were born alive, one died in AshLeaf's mouth. And two survived longer. Only one's alive now, but… even though it's been so long, she's still likely to die. Soon. She's so fragile… she'll never be a warrior."

They don't notice the pair of eyes watching them across the border. OceanFur begins to plan, furious; she's going to kill the tom. That would be the ultimate punishment for both. She didn't know his name, and she didn't care.

Suddenly, SnowSong's ears prick up and OceanFur freezes. "I have to go soon. Now," she amends, stepping away from the tom. He nods once, melting back into the forest towards his home. Just as SnowSong goes to cross the path, OceanFur stops her. She starts yelling again, and SnowSong takes a step back, ears flat, preparing to flee when a car approaches. They both flee the scene.

OceanFur calms down, they talk, she convinces SnowSong she was just upset, and fools her with a pretty smile and golden words.

As they walk into camp, she's planning her sister's demise.

SnowSong walks to the nursery, followed by OceanFur, to see if the den is empty. When she sees that it is, she offers to get the older queen some food. They agree. She pretends that the freshkill pile is empty and so she goes outside to catch a mouse, stuffs it with three death berries, and takes it back into camp. She's still alone with her sister in the nursery, feeds her the poisoned mouse, and watches her sister die. "Say hello to CloudBubble for me." And she waits a few minutes, making sure she's dead, before pelting out into the clearing screeching, "Help! AshLeaf! She'sdead-she'sdead-she'sdead! Help me, please!"

Medical attention was given, but there was no apparent reason she'd died, save a bit of foam on her mouth that OceanFur had wiped away. JayFeather was distraught, SpiritKit was confused, and OceanFur was apparently devastated. She gasped and cried and was disbelieving in all the right parts.

After a few days of planning, she'd finally devised it- the plan to kill the other traitor to his clan. It was elaborate and carefully strung together.

She rolled in the garlic, grass, dirt and mud mixture she'd comprised. She had permission to be off today, for grieving, she'd said. She knew his favorite spot. She had the hole dug. She had the same mixture of garlic-mud-pine needles-grass set up near the spot. It smelled of nature, so it wasn't obvious. She'd even practiced jumping from trees without making great noise. She'd kill him today, and then maybe that traitor-spawn called SpiritKit.

Once she'd rolled sufficiently in the mud, she was disguised in both scent and color. She cautiously crossed the border and climbed the tree over the spot the traitor liked. She absently wondered what his name was as she waited for her prey. He liked to be in this spot, alone, for a few minutes each day. As she waited, she contemplated SpiritKit. She idly wondered, did the name have anything to do with the father?

As said tom padded into her vision, she tensed. Would her scent-coater work? It apparently did, because he sat down to watch the sunset without so much as a blink. She grinned, adjusted her position minutely. She swiftly landed on the tom's back and dispatched him with a swift blow to the neck before he could so much as breathe in to yell for help. She dragged the body to the pile of mud and quickly began coating the body in mud. She caked it on thickly, taking no chance. She checked for any sign of others, then lifted and dragged his body across the Thunderpath towards the deep grave she'd dug for the cat.

Once he was buried, she grinned again. Two imperfect ones down. One to go.

She returns to camp like nothing happened. No one suspects anything until the next gathering, when the leader of ShadowClan announced one of their warriors was missing. No one knew anything. OceanFur grinned a little in her mind. Good.

Soon she begins plotting the death of her sister's only surviving kit. However, she finds JayFeather in the way far too often. He's so worried about SpiritKit; she's so delicate, so he's taken to following her. He never really recovered from losing SnowSong.

She won't kill JayFeather; he's a good cat, loyal to the warrior's code and ignorant of his mate's treachery. But the kit he thought was his was a half-clan monster. It needed to be stopped. OceanFur needed to get the kit alone, in camp, without JayFeather. He always took morning patrol of any border, so she'd have to do it then. However, when he did leave camp, it was when leaving the kit in his mother's care, so she'd need to take care of her too. She wouldn't kill the mother either, she was also good.

This left OceanFur with little option, she couldn't ask to be alone with the kit and then have it turn up dead. Someone would get suspicious. She had to plan something that would kill it long after she'd left. She thought it over for a long while, wanting every detail correct. Meanwhile, each night, her dreams were plagued by nightmares of her sister, SnowSong. Each night, SnowSong told her she was wrong, that she shouldn't kill anyone, that it was against the warrior code. She refused to listen to a traitor, however, and her sleep was a small price to pay for the benefit of her clan.

One night, when everyone was asleep save the vigilant, VioletWhisker, she crept into the nursery. SpiritKit was there, and now almost five moons old.

She gently nudged the small kitten with her nose. She didn't say anything when the kit woke up, but brushed her tail over the kit's mouth when she began to ask a question. Her eyes gleaming with excitement, SpiritKit followed OceanFur from the nursery. As soon as they slinked cautiously through the exit at the rear of the nursery, SpiritKit bounced up to her favorite cat.

"Where are we going?" she questioned, gazing at the forest with wide eyes. OceanFur didn't answer, just glanced at SpiritKit with a laughing look in her eyes, a look that said _come on! Let's go!_ SpiritKit looked around, excitement pumping through her before following.

OceanFur was swift. She always stayed a few steps ahead of the kit, quickly winding the small kitten. She began stumbling, and shivering. It was just past Leaf Fall, and it was cold.

"O- OceanFur!" the kit called, looking around for her older sister. She was nowhere to be seen. Scared now, SpiritKit assessed her situation. She didn't even recognize the type of trees around her, tall and mostly bare save for a few sharp-looking ones way up. There appeared to be dead ones under her paws.

Suddenly, the earth began to shake beneath her feet and a foul stench entered her nose. "Aah!" she gasped, jumping back as a huge monster flew past in the distance. She could see the path she hadn't seen before, wide and black as midnight, cutting through the landscape like a river. Cautiously, the kit approached the 'river' when she was sure there were no monsters on it. She tentatively pressed a paw to the river and found it to be stone. She treaded out onto the surface of the path, curious.

Suddenly, a monster came rushing around the corner. SpiritKit rushed to the nearest side of the Thunderpath, frightened beyond her few months. Now she couldn't remember if this had been the side she'd started on, and the acrid scent of the path was burning her nose. Tired, frightened, and confused, she began to make her way through the trees of the side she was on. She couldn't have seen the gleeful eyes that followed her movements from across the path.

Freezing cold, and having determined that she was far enough away from the Thunderpath, she'd settled into the grass, shivering, and fell into a deep sleep.

WARRIORS

I need to break this down into two parts. It's too long. And, sort of a cliff-hanger, but the second part is already written.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: True Heart Final 2

This _should_ be the last chapter. ^u^' So. Hope you enjoy.

WARRIORS

OceanFur returns to camp. No one saw her, she slips into the den, falls asleep, and no one's the wiser.

When the camp wakes up to find SpiritKit gone, they scour the forest looking for her. OceanFur's scent is ahead of the scent trail they find for SpiritKit, and OceanFur acts like she's ashamed and sad. Clearly, the kit had followed her out on a late night walk in the forest.

No one can find her because they lose their scents at the Thunderpath. With heavy hearts, the warriors head home, unable to find their lost kitten. OceanFur considers herself victorious. The traitors in all Clans had been eliminated.

But a thought occurs to her. How many traitors have been undiscovered? The thought unsettles her.

OceanFur becomes jumpy, more snappish than usual. The Clan chalks it up to the death and loss of her sister and mother within such a close time period and lets her grieve. But she doesn't get better. She gets worse.

SpiritKit, meanwhile, is discovered by the ShadowClan medicine cat, QuietMeadow. She hauls the tiny bundle to camp and warms up the near-dead kitten. The QuietMeadow doesn't think the kit will survive long, but against all odds, SpiritKit struggles on. As QuietMeadow cares for the foreign kit, she notices some strange marks on her- ones eerily similar to the ones on her missing brothers pelt.

Unsettled by the fact that this was clearly her brother's kit, QuietMeadow vows to take in and care for the kit, and no one will ever know whose it is- or about the ThunderClan scent on her.

OceanFur manages to maintain her normal facade around others, but she constantly speaks to herself and the image of SnowSong that haunts her waking and sleeping hours. This time, it is made clear to the readers that SnowSong is a figment of the living cat's tortured mind. Reality is becoming skewed to her, and the very fabric of her mind is fraying. She has become reclusive from other cats and speaks only to perform her duties- as a good ThunderClan warrior, she will _never_ forsake her duty to the Clan. Never.

It is made apparent that some of her behavioral patterns stem from the abuse she suffered as a human, but that some cannot be explained quite so easily. This is left as a mystery.

SpiritKit grows up loyal to ShadowClan. She is made into the apprentice of QuietMeadow, unable to train as a warrior due to her weak and sickly stature. Eventually, by the age of almost eleven moons, SpiritPaw is extremely close to a cat by the name of OakLeaf. OakLeaf absolutely adores his friend and acts as a protector and confidant to her. It troubles him, then, when SpiritPaw confides in him that QuietMeadow is very close to death. She was already quite sickly when SpiritPaw had been apprenticed to her.

Just before QuietMeadow departs the realm of the living, however, she tells SpiritPaw her most dear secret- SpiritPaw is from ThunderClan. She wasn't supposed to be a ShadowClan cat. Distressed, but calm for the last moments of her adoptive mother's life, SpiritPaw takes the information but does not absorb it. Instead she files it away for later examination.

It is obvious that SpiritPaw is not quite ready to take over for QuietMeadow, but begins her journey to the Moonstone anyway. At the Moonstone, newly-named SpiritHeart meets a strange, non-Clan affiliated cat- SnowSong. SnowSong gives her a prophecy to fulfill-

_Begin at the end to find your true place. End at the beginning to find me._

Confused but enlightened, SpiritHeart heads back to camp with the knowledge she'll need to care for her Clan, and a mystery to boot.

OakLeaf is the only cat she tells about the prophecy, and both are baffled but try to move on. Later, SpiritHeart goes to a Fourtrees meeting and meets a strange cat by the name of OceanFur. The cat is scrawny, scraggly, and is poorly concealing her muttering. When OceanFur meets her eyes, she stiffens and stares at her for a moment. She is no longer muttering. SpiritHeart offers a small smile and wave of her tail, curious at her appearance and behavior. The scrawny cat suddenly leaps at the ShadowClan medicine cat and pins her to the ground. Despite her scruffy appearance, the older cat was _strong._ "I KILLED YOU!" she shrieks, tearing at the young cat's stomach with her claws before she is torn away by OakLeaf.

"What is this, ThunderClan?!" he demanded, assisting SpiritHeart back on her paws. It seems that the ThunderClan cats are in a similar state of confusion. "I killed you and your traitor mate a LONG TIME AGO!" OceanFur shouts, bristling and spitting. "I- I'm the medicine cat! I don't have a mate!" SpiritHeart defended, injured but furious. "Shut UP! My sister is DEAD because of you! I had to kill her because YOU didn't leave her alone and NOW YOU'RE ALIVE?! Fine! I'll kill you again!" She didn't hesitate, leaping wildly over OakLeaf to reach the smaller cat.

When it is revealed that OceanFur killed SnowSong, JayFeather leaps into action and finally holds down the hissing and spitting she cat. "Why did you kill my mate?" he asks, sliding his claws against OceanFur's throat. "Because she wasn't your mate, she was HIS! That TRAITOR and their spawn were better off dead, so I did it! StarClan wanted me to weed them out! I know it!"

Then, a miracle. A white and silver cat appears to all of them, a starry, shadowy figure barely retaining the corporeal form it had chosen. "I'm so, so sorry," it whispered, touching it's nose to the writhing form of OceanFur. Suddenly she went limp, and JayFeather looked up. "SnowSong?" he asked brokenly, reaching his nose up to touch her fur. She purred, "JayFeather," before addressing all of the cats present, her voice magically amplified. "She was a mistake! A life lived in the wrong shape..." she mourned, and a few tears fell like stars to touch OceanFur's limp body. A Twoleg child's spirit rose from the ashes of the cat's wrong life, and greeted them all with a surprised look. "Tori?" asked SnowSong gently, briefly switching shapes back to her human form. "Mantha!" she cried, hugging her and crying. "I had such a scary dream!" "I know," she comforted, touching the child's forehead with her thumb. Her eyes briefly dulled, but were soon bright again. "I'll see you soon, Tori," SnowSong told the girl, pointing her in the right direction and watching her leave.

SnowSong takes her cat form again. "She remembers the life she should have had. The cat that killed is no more."

She shares a few quiet words with JayFeather and SpiritHeart, then departs the realm of the living. SpiritHeart is pleased to know who would have been her father if she'd not been taken from ThunderClan, but gently explains to him that she really can't- and wouldn't want to- leave her clan. She's happy, and she realized what the prophecy meant. She began at the end of her adoptive mother's life and found her place in ShadowClan. She ended at the beginning of her story and found her mother. She just wants to live a normal life with her clanmates now. She tells JayFeather goodbye and wishes him well.

The meeting is ended, and everyone goes home shaken. JayFeather dies, from old age and a sickness that had been taking him over for months.

SpiritHeart is the only one left from her story, and she lets it die with her- although, legends are still told about the Twoleg-cat murdurer.

THE END

::*:::*:::*::

WOW. So. Okay. Whew. Sorry about that. Long story, huh? Well, I did want to add that if anyone wanted to pick up this outline and run with it (making any changes they want, I'm not picky) I'd be happy to let them. Of course, an honorable mention in an author's note would be nice. Hope this satisfies the people I let down. Sorry again!


End file.
